Harry, the Poisonous Centipede : A Story to Make You Squirm - Softcover

Banks, Lynne Reid

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006751970 ISBN 13: 9780006751977

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited, 2005

Synopsis

A delightfully squirmy story starring Harry the Poisonous Centipede in a scary world of flying swoopers, furry biters and the dreaded Hoo-Mins! With wonderful humour and brilliant illustrations, this is the perfect book for wriggly young readers. "It's a Hoo-Min!" crackled George. "Walking on its hairy-biter feet!" But now it was Harry who felt brave. "Come on! Let's peep at it!" They crawled the rest of the way up the tunnel towards the light. Harry is a poisonous centipede but he's not very brave. Still, he is the star of this seriously squirmy story. Harry likes to eat things that wriggle and crackle, and things that are juicy and munchy! But there are some things that a poisonous centipede must never try to eat - dangerous things like flying swoopers, belly wrigglers, furry biters and the most dangerous of all! Hoo-Mins! Harry and George's adventures up to the world of Hoo-Mins sparkle with fun and will be a delightfully squirmy experience for all young readers.

About this title

About the Author:

Since Lynne's first novel for adults, The L-Shaped Room, she has been published here and in the US. Her strong narrative style and ability to create worlds where small people and animals live, is second to none. Her book, The Indian in the Cupboard, shortly to be a Collins Modern Classic, was made into a major feature film -- her books in the series sell and sell. Lynne says writing for children comes more easily than writing for adults. "It's not that it is less demanding -- I just find it more fun."

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-4?Harry is warned by his mother, Belinda, never to ascend the mysterious "Up Pipe" (drain) or to travel to the "no-top-world" (surface) where the Hoo-Mins (humans) live. Still, encouraged by his fearless friend George, the two centipedes make several trips to these destinations, where they encounter dangerous creatures and barely make it home with their cuticles intact. Later on, when smoke invades their tunnel, the two frantically crawl through the "Up Pipe" and discover a gigantic "meat mountain" that they soon realize is a sleeping Hoo-Min. They escape just in time to scuttle down the pipe and revive the smoke-struck Belinda. Having learned the difference between bravery and foolhardiness, they live happily ever after. This simplistic fantasy is a stretch for even the most accepting readers. The characters never develop but remain insects who have human characteristics uncomfortably imposed upon them. The author is often didactic, defining potentially unfamiliar words or explaining the anatomy of centipedes. The humor is more silly than funny, and this attempt to present things through the eyes of insects is far-fetched and uninteresting. A disappointingly dull book.?Wendy D. Caldiero, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0006751970
• ISBN 13: 9780006751977
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128